What's Left to Remember
by Mewsea
Summary: For two years, Cam and Ash get separated from each other. But what's more is that Cam has developed some pretty strange feelings towards his friend... Now it's Ash's job to find Cam and finally be reunited with his friend at last! But where is he? CamxAsh.
1. Chapter 1

**After fussing with Fanfiction for what seemed like eternity, I was finally able to post my first fanfic. I'm so proud of myself, I could cry. But rather, I'll just applaud myself.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon. But if I did, that'd be pretty sweet.**

**Warning: BoyxBoy! Oh no! Click away! Unless you like it, then... You're just sick. Just kidding. :3**

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><p><span>What's Left to Remember<span>

_Chapter One_

"I can't believe she doesn't like you, man. What's there not to like about you? I mean, you're kind, smart, fun to be around...-"

The florist's friend had himself sitting atop a stone wall, just near to the shop in which Cam tended upon. It was a rather small shop; in fact, it only consisted of a wooden stand, accompanied by plentiful flowers ranging from red to blue to all colors in between.

"Cute," Cam added, pressing a smile even at times of work.

"I mean - you even own a flower shop, for goddess' sake. Aren't girls suppose to... Wait. What?" Ash braked, suddenly acknowledging his friend's intent.

What Ash had been rambling on about was the means of his friend's relationship with some girl he had recently confessed to, and to the defense of his friend's position in part of it. The woman of whom Cam had fallen for was a beautiful brunette who had been caring for the flowers of Bluebell ever since Rose had fallen and disabled her back - an event that had only happened a few months ago. It used to be Rose's job to care for such flowers, but her injury had prevented any further care for them. Because of this, Rose had kindly asked the girl if she would look after them for her.

The girl was from the city. Of course, she was the ideal woman of anyone's dreams. She was the daughter of a shop owner - a meek, kind-hearted girl, alike to Cam in character. And, needless to say, her looks were just as beautiful.

But what Ash couldn't understand was that his friend wasn't taking this matter seriously, or rather, he wasn't phased by it at all.

To add to his confusion, Cam held a flower out to him in an expecting acceptance. _A present?_ Ash merely took the flower without much thought of it, gazing upon its bright, sky blue petals. When he had finished, he glanced to Cam in wait of his next response.

Cam smiled gently. "Lillian likes flowers, doesn't she?" He returned to his flowers, clipping at their stems. "I know I'm not the only one who's having lady problems..."

Ash blinked at him. "Huh?" It took a while for his friend's witty remark to sink in, but once it did, his hands flew to either side of his head with haste, almost on accord. "Ah! Y-You knew!"

The florist forced a laugh. "When you act like that, how can I not?"

Ash shot a bitter glare at him, growling, "What do you mean _when I act like that?_"

"Ash, I know you," the florist said - considerably. "And if there's anything that troubles you, you're not one to say it out loud. Instead, you manifest it in associating terms, such as another's conflict - which, in this case, happens to be my own."

Well, he was, undoubtedly, correct. Ash couldn't deny it. The farmer did have a flaw of unintentionally throwing his problems into the face of others who shared those of similar nature...

Should he attempt to solve this issue? Maybe... It would be for the best... But just so long as Cam would quit noticing it every damn time he had a problem. (Yes, there have been numerous accounts in which Cam has noticed such problems due to the same occasion, and it irked the hell out of Ash to no end.)

Cam was clever; it went without saying. Not only that, but he _has_ Known Ash for a good portion of his life now. The two have been inseparatable friends ever since childhood. So of course he'd know even the littlest of things when it came to his best friend in the whole world. Ash was just worried that maybe he knew a little too much...

"Take the flower to Lillian and tell her how you feel," Cam told.

"Yeah, and fail miserably like you?"

"How could I fail?" The florist quieted himself momentarily, still busying himself with his flowers, applying suspension to those words with a kind smile. "I wasn't _even_ trying."

_'That smile... Is more dangerous than it is kind_,' Ash thought.


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter Two__  
><em>

What was going on? Was Ash really obeying Cam's demands, or was he just flat-out retarded? Although he wasn't quite sure how he wounded up at Lillian's house, he seemingly transported there... Very regrettably.

Ending his walk, he stood directly in front of Lillian's house, lifting his head to view a well-kept farm house. Cows mooed in the distance and chickens clucked to mock his arrival. If animals could talk, they'd be telling Ash he was a fool right about now...

_'Why am I doing this?'_ Ash thought as his heart irrepressibly quickened - his palms began to sweat.

_'Cam even knows how to torture me. How thoughtful. Well, here goes.'_

He stepped up to the door, ready to knock just as the doorknob began to turn. In his means of escaping, Ash darted off to the side, having a miniature heart-attack for a split second.

_This is bad._

_'Oh goddess, did she see me?'_

Lillian stood outside the door of her house and looked about suspiciously, holding a finger to her lip. "Is somebody there?" She narrowed her eyes to find a flower at her feet - the one Ash had dropped when he ran to hide. She held the flower before her face now, studying such matter vigorously.

Now was Ash's chance. He could sneak away while she still had her mind set to another thing.

And that's just what he started doing.

However, as observant as Lillian was, she was swift to find his presence. "Oh, hello, Ash. What brings you here?"

He stopped dead in his tracks.

_Goddess, no..._

He had to say something - anything. So he began... Painfully.

"Oh, um, why me?" His cheeks flushed. He rubbed the back of his head just as awkwardly as he pushed a smile. "I was just, uh... Checking in on you. We haven't been talking that much lately, so I... Uh... Came by to say hello. So hi."

"... That's it? Was Cam here?"

Ash frowned, unclear as to what she meant. "No. Why would you...-"

He was going to ask why she would make such inferences, but by the judgement of the way she stared at the flower as traced-like as she did, he could determine that the flower could have meant a symbol of Cam's being here, since Cam was, indeed, a florist after all.

The farmer watched the other in silence - mystified as she drew the delicate flower up to her nose to sniff it, smiling contently. She then focused her eyes onto Ash, keeping her relaxed smile.

"Ash, can you keep a secret?"

"Uh... I guess so?"

"You have to promise not to tell, okay?"

"... Okay?"

She eyed Ash suspiciously, debating on whether or not he could keep such a promise." ... Promise?"

Ash glared, growing impatient and rather irritable. "Yeah, okay, I promise."

"Okay, well...," She picked at the flower, but gently enough so that she wouldn't pull the petals off. "I'm in love with someone in town..."

"Excuse me?"

"The florist at the flower shop. Isn't he so romantic? Well of course you wouldn't know because you're a guy, but... If there's any guy that's meant for me, he's the one. He's so nice, and kind, and...-"

_What... The..._

_Oh my goddess._

_Cam? She likes Cam?_

_And she just said nice and kind in the same sentence! They mean the same thing! Jeez, she's so warped that she doesn't even know what she's saying!_

_'Damn Cam for being so unreasonably attractive... He pisses me off. I bet he knew this was going to happen - that asshole...'_


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter Three_

The girl you like who falls for your best friend is only suppose to be found in movies or in books... Not in real life. This just sucked...

"Why me...?" The farmer asked miserably, being sleep-deprived for several days now.

"It's not your fault," Cam admitted. "She just can't resist me, that's all."

Ash didn't have the motivation to fight with his friend, so the best he could do was a growl, almost inaudibly heard. "Cam... I will _kill_ you..."

The two sat near to the river, with both sitting side by side one another on the same hill in the mountains.

Ash plucked at the grass in a way of relieving his stress as Cam poured milk onto the ground every so often to feed a hungry, black kitten.

From the corner of his eye, Ash noted such behavior dryly. "Quit feeding that damn cat. It doesn't like you - it likes the milk," he remarked quite rudely, having his distressed attitude rub off in his speech - not fully aware nor intended.

"Maybe," Cam agreed, oddly enough, hunching over further to pet the feline, scratching behind it's ear. The cat began to purr in response, brushing against such pleasing fingers. "But I can't help but feel sorry for it - the same way I can't help but feel sorry for you."

Ash sighed and rolled his eyes off him, placing them elsewhere.

The florist just relaxed himself, ascending a gaze upon the ominous, grey, clouded sky. He closed his eyes - in peace with nature. He caught a glimpse of Ash poking a stick into the earth when he reopened his eyes to check on him. Then, he cast a stare onto the river again, bringing nothing but silence into the conversation for an extensive amount of time.

"The reason why I didn't care about being rejected was because I didn't need anybody else to make me feel happy...," he mumbled, appearing as though he were caught in some kind of trance.

Ash glanced to him - very quietly and subtly, expecting more.

"I just needed one person," he finished, creating a veil of question that embarked further explanation - a veil of question that Ash couldn't otherwise dismiss.

"Huh? You're... In love with somebody else?"

Cam regained balance to his feet, brushing off grass from his body. He held his hand out to Ash, masking that gentle smile of his. "Yes, but the person doesn't know it yet. I Haven't said anything."

Ash took his hand mindlessly, now standing on his feet - just like Cam. "Why don't you say something?"

"Because I guess I figure I'll be rejected."

"So? Tell her anyway!" The farmer insisted.

Cam just smiled to that remark, giving way to his amusement. He stared onward with his hands in his pockets. The black cat he was feeding from earlier followed shortly behind, adding it's input in with a "mew".

For some reason, Ash quieted, staring at his friend's face, pausing before looking away. "Well, I mean... You're nice and all... And a lot of girls like you, including Lillian... So... You must be pretty great..."

He wasn't sure why, but he was embarrassed for having admitted such a thing... But he wasn't sure if he was embarrassed because of having just confessed his jealousy, or... To Cam being as special as he was.

Cam's smile grew larger. Hearing such words come from Ash... Was really nice to hear. His eyes traced back to the sky. "It looks like it's about to rain... Do you want to come over to my house?"

Ash frowned, remembering something. "Oh, but I promised Cheryl I'd cook her a meal tonight."

"Tell her you can't because you've fallen from a cliff and can't get up."

"I can't do that," he scorned. "She'd cry. Besides that, if I really fell from a cliff and couldn't get up, I wouldn't be able to tell her I got hurt."

"It was just a suggestion."

"Yeah, and a sucky one at that."

"Sucky? Come on, please?" Cam stopped. The cat copied, meowing loudly.

Ash seemed to have ponder the thought for a while... Then, alas said, "Alright... But only if you can get that cat to shut up."

"I'll work on it," Cam returned, obviously being satisfied with his agreement.

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><p><strong>Wasn't this chapter cute? :3 I thought so. Who is Cam in love with? Anybody?<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**You know what I just noticed? I spelled the title of my story wrong. Great. Well, I just changed that a little while ago... I wonder if this has happened to anyone before... If so, share your stories. It'll be fun for all.**

**Anyway, onto the story!**

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><p><em>Chapter Four<em>

The acquainted new friend, the cat, mewed at the two boys once it had finished lapping it's milk. The milk, of course, came from Cam - the easily manipulated fool who unwillingly surrenders to any stray cat, having a heart the size of a watermelon. And, just as expected of him - he had allowed the cat to follow them home too, giving in to it's irresistible control.

At one of the tables inside the cafe of Cam's house, the two friends sat, both drinking their own tea as they did their best to ignore such incessant meowing - with Cam to struggle more than Ash to neglect such desperate cries, it was almost unbearable. It caused him to sit on edge, furrowing his eyebrows in his only hope of relieving the burden of such an effect - feeling as though he had no means of escaping.

Aggravated, Ash glared at the florist from the slightest bit of an eye. "I thought we agreed that the cat wouldn't come into the house..."

"We agreed that the cat would quiet itself," Cam corrected, feeling and looking very uneasy as he sipped more tea, practically digging his fingers into the cup under all his tension.

"So shut it up!"

"I can't...," Cam confessed, letting feelings take the best of him as he averted his eyes in another direction - away from Ash. A blush became apparent on his cheeks. "I don't have any more milk..."

Ash, now having tension building inside himself as well, crossed his arms and pushed the most forceful of smiles - even to appear deep in thought. "Your family owns a restaurant and you're telling me you don't have any milk...? How is that even possible?"

"I don't know... But it is..."

Just then, Laney came to bring Ash and Cam two muffins, each on separate plates. She set one before each of the two boys. "There you are. Eat up, you two. I'll be in my room if you need anything else," she chirped, and took one step away before she... Stumbled - stumbled right over the dish of milk that was left on the floor for the cat.

"Huh? What's this?" She questioned, sounding considerably angry. She put her hands to her hips, blaming Cam for her near-fall. "Cam, did you bring home another cat?" She scowled. "Howard's going to be really angry if he finds out about this..."

Cam blushed - uncomfortable. "Well, I-"

"I don't want to hear it. Please put the cat outside at once."

"But it's raining... It'll get all wet, and I...-"

Ash wanted to chime in; he wanted to assist his friend in the situation, and before he knew it, he was blurting out whatever first came to mind. "Um, I'm really sorry, Laney. Cam should be my responsibility; I should have been watching him more carefully; it's all my fault."

Great. What was Cam? Ash's pet now? These were the precise thoughts that had plagued Ash's mind right after his speech.

And after that? Silence. Nothing was heard nor said but a long, lengthy, timed silence.

And then...? Laughter. Pure laughter - killing Ash all the more.

How humiliating...

"What is Cam? Your pet!" Laney choked.

The farmer attempted to conceal his burning cheeks with his hands, even though neither Cam nor Laney were watching him; they were much too preoccupied with collapsing their lungs from so much laughter that they were actually bent over in a stance - each holding a closed fist to their mouths. While Cam's laugh was a restricted one, Laney's was less refined, and was in part, louder than his.

To cease this ongoing laughter, there came an abrupt busting of the door which was followed by Howard's voice and Howard himself, exclaiming, "Hoohoohoo! That was a good one!"

The entrance door didn't _actually_ break, but it was slammed opened violently enough to have caused such a happening.

Cam, Laney, Ash - everyone was startled but Howard.

And then there came the sudden realization of something - something that was very dreadful to recall...

The cat.

The cat was in plain sight, ready to be seen.

Was Laney going to let this happen? No. She understood Cam and Ash's position for it, and found herself obligated to help her friends, coming before the small cat in her best nonchalant way as to hide it from Howard's view, blushing and giggling uncomfortably all the way. "Aheheheh... Father. What a pleasant surprise."

"Oh, hello, deary. I'm back!" Howard sang cheerfully. He then noticed Cam. "Cam! You're here, too! Oh, what joy! I've missed you soooo much!" He went to embrace the florist in his arms, crushing him with all his might - unintentionally but lovingly.

Cam merely took it as was, knowing that he wasn't strong enough to pull from his arms.

"Howard... Please let go...," he mumbled, somewhat annoyed.

In the middle of the commotion, Laney found it the perfect time to hide the cat and thus stood aside Ash to whisper in his ear, "Take the cat and hide it in Cam's closet in his room. We'll rid of it when the rain stops. Got it?"

"Right...," Ash assured, seeming indifferent to the plan.

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><p>What felt like a short time was actually an hour before the rain had stopped for the night. Cam and Ash knew that the time had come to release their feline friend into the wild again, as painfully as it would be. The two stood just outside the cafe, gazing down at the cat with a sorry theme. Cam took the matter harder than Ash, as expected, and knelt down before it, stroking it for the last time.<p>

The cat was clueless, staring back at him with curious, round, yellow eyes, meowing as if in question.

"Sorry you can't stay here...," Cam murmured - his heart sinking just to the sound of his words. "If you could, I'd let you." He smiled - maybe not at all.

Ash, feeling remorse for his friend, Cam, just stood there to watch the event unfold before his eyes, doing not much else but to feel sorry for them both.

"Are you okay?" He asked Cam.

Cam corrected his balance and stood properly now, smiling at Ash to show his appreciation. "Yes... Thank you."

"For what?"

"For helping me keep the cat until the rain had died down. And, also, for making me laugh."

To that response, Ash's expression grew to a look of boredom. He detected Cam's humor. "Oh..." He blushed, recalling the time when he and Laney both had laughed at him for sounding like he _owned_ Cam, like he was some kind of pet or a kid.

The florist said no further more, and it was Ash's turn, once again, to say something. This wasn't uncommon, however, for as quiet as Cam was. And Ash certainly didn't mind it at this particular moment because he was already dying to pose the question of...

"You never told me... Who you're really in love with..."

Cam smiled again and replied with, "That's because it's a secret."

Ash grew in fury. "What!"

When Cam didn't say anything yet again, Ash continued, "We're best friends and you're not even going to tell me what's-"

Cam took hold of his hand, clasping it ever so gently as he began to lead him inside the house. "Come. It's getting late. And you wouldn't want me to wander off and get lost, would you? Because it'd be you're fault, since I am your pet now, after all."

"Huh? You are not my...-"

Strangely, in a brisk glance, he just noticed that the two were holding hands... A sort of thing that had never happened before... And it felt strange... It made Ash blush without control.

Why was it... So... Weird?

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><p><strong>Howard practically rapes Cam, lol. I find their relationship to be quite humorous, if I do say so myself, so that's why I felt the undying urge to include them in here.<strong>

**Oh yes, and I've been playing quite a bit of Pokepark 2 lately. It's not as good as the first, but I can deal with it. Sorry if it takes me a while to upload, but you all will forgive me, won't you? I mean, that's what love is, right? Forgive and forget. Heh heh... Right?**

**Bawwww... I'm outta here. Ba-bye! Send me some reviews, my pretties... Muhahahahaha...**


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter Five_

"Aiyeeeeeeeh!"

A shrill cry was heard from the nearby distance of Ash's house. The cry belonged to a girl - that much Ash was sure of... It caused him to stop mid-brush on his cow and instinctively search for the location of the cry. He stared wide-eyed at Georgia from across the pasture in his farm area to the one in her own. And just as impulsively, he walked straight-up to her with more concern over what was going on rather than for the reason of her harsh scream.

When he had arrived, she immediately accused him for the disturbance. She put her hands to her hips and demanded, without delay, that Ash take his friend off her ranch at once.

At first, he didn't know what she was talking about, but when he furthered his search, he found Cam board-stiff on the ground, laying flat on his face and stomach. Two horses had their heads lowered to sniff at such a mess - the mess of Cam - who didn't budge the least bit at their nuzzles.

_What in the hell...?_

Georgia cooled down only little and crossed her arms whilst walking away demeaningly. "I expect your friend to be gone within an hour... If my horses try eating him, they're only going to get sick."

_Oh, how nice..._

Ash approached Cam, kneeling down to meet him in terms. He was just about ready to poke him when he thought he would get no better response - but that was before his friend started to mumble something quite quaint.

"She wouldn't go out with me... Because I liked flowers..."

"Uh... Oka-"

"She said liking flowers automatically makes me a pansy... You don't feel that way, do you, Ash...?"

The girl Cam had been in love with... Didn't like guys who liked flowers?

Well, it couldn't be helped, but... Ash had to say something to console his friend.

He patted Cam on the head as a way of comforting him. "No, of course not," he answered.

"She also said... That if we did go out - that my heart wouldn't truly belong to her anyway..."

Ash sat on his knees, staring at Cam.

What Cam meant was that his heart wouldn't truly belong to her because... He was already in love with somebody else, right? A person unknown who Cam forbid to tell Ash the details of, let alone her name...

Now Cam sat on his knees, too, grabbing a small, black cat from what seemed to be out of the blue. When in reality, the cat had been beside him the whole time, nudging at him with it's paw - just like the horses that had nuzzled him in the means of grabbing his attention.

To reply to such an odd action, Ash merely stared, bored-faced - for he knew that that cat was the same cat that they had released back into the wild just yesterday night... And like his mood, his voice was just as homorless. "Cam... Is that the same cat you brought home yesterday...?"

"I can't help it..." Cam sighed. "I can't let it go..."

"You're spoiling it."

"You're no different with Cheryl."

_'Ah... He has a good point... I'll admit it...'_

Cam's eyes narrowed in a sudden degrade of character, disheartened for some reason untold.

"Ash...," He said, after a long pause - a pause that felt to last an hour before he added more. "Hypothetically, if the person I loved happened to be... A guy... What would you do...?"

_A... A... A what? A what! What did he just say!_

Ash fidgeted around uncomfortably, feeling very alarmed to his friend's sudden upbringing.

_What was all this about?_

"U-Uh... Well I suppose, I'd, uh...-"

"What would you do if the person I happened to love was... You...?"

Ash blushed immensely. "Uh, h-hold on. W-Wait," he stirred, backing up slightly before Cam had done the unthinkable: he pressed his lips against Ash's own and very gradually did Ash realize it when it had happened. It felt so unreal, and so very... So very...

A cold breeze passed by in a slow motion, or what felt to be so...

It took two long years for it to sink in... Two long years for Ash to fully grasp what went on that day... But Ash had believed that he had known it long before those two years - when he had moved to another area of the land - far from the reach of Cam's distance and inhabitant, moving due to family reasons. He believed that Cam had purely done this - the kiss - out of a sheer act of confusion, when in truth, all Ash had truly known was the ambiguous notion of his friend's feelings, and to the feelings he felt towards Cam... He thought that Cam had possibly felt some mixed feelings, was all... But in truth, such feelings weren't _mixed_ at all...

It took two long years to discover... That what Cam really intended... Was love itself.

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><p><strong>Badada-duuuummm! Oh god, the plot is getting intense, can you feel it? I actually had no idea that the story was going to develop in this way, but to tell the truth, I kinda like it. What do you think, my fellow readers?<strong>

**Has anybody ever tried an m&m cookie sandwich? My word, those things are to die for. Like seriously - just the mere lick of one will make you ooze of joy.**

**Anyway, that's all for now. I hope to update soon! Au revoir!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys, sorry it took me a while to update, but I was eaten by a dragon last time I went outside to walk, so... I died... Momentarily. But alas! I am back! Back from the dead! I'm a zombie now! Roaaar! **

**Ha ha... I'm lame. But seriously, here's chapter six. Enjoy until your heart's content.**

**And... Could people please start reviewing a little more? I understand that I'm a new writer and all... But seriously, what can I say? I'm an impatient person. That's how I'm able to update so relatively fast. I don't care if it's a good or a bad review - I really could care less. You could say my work is shit and it wouldn't faze me the least bit. I honestly just want to know how people feel about my story. If I could know that, I could possibly be able to better myself as a writer. So please, with all do respect - please review. Or... I will be forced to never write any more to this story ever again! Muhahahahaha! So take heed to this warning...**

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><p><em>Chapter Six<em>

Two years... Was it really that long...? Perhaps. Maybe it was. It felt that way for Ash. But for Cam? Was Cam to differ? The memory of their friendship was to stay forever trapped in the depths of Ash's mind and soul. His heart tore a little more each time he thought of Cam, and how much he desperately wanted to find him again. But he had learned to cope with such resentment over time; and soon, he was able to start a whole life anew. And, sure enough, little by little, day by day, he gradually became less and less infatuated with the thought of Cam. However, truth be told, somewhere hidden far in the back of Ash's head, was still - the memory of Cam - creeping up on him at the most unexpected hours, even in the late hours of his sleep, when he would lay down to bed some nights, wondering why he still felt emptiness sometimes, even when he had completed all tasks required for the day - like something was missing... Such a wonder baffled him, and it felt as though the recurrent thought of Cam would never cease to end. And the most recurrent one... Was always the kiss: the incident that had startled Ash so much that he was unable to confront his friend for a whole two months. That is, before he had moved away - moving so very, very far away... Knowing that, indeed, he would probably never see his friend again...

But no more. No more of this. Ash wanted no more an issue of distance, and furthermore wanted no more the missing of his best friend. Today was the day that such matters were to be resolved, for Ash was planning to pay Cam the first visit in... Well, forever now. He was to go to Bluebell and knock on Cam's door and beg of him to accept him once more, pleading at his feet to forgive him of his stupidity and having ran off the way that he did and never coming back. The plan had to work, and if not, then... Well, there was no _then_. It just had to work. There were no exceptions. Ash wouldn't take no for an answer.

So... Because of going to Bluebell on such a short notice... Cheryl's suspicions were aroused, and since this was the case, she had asked her brother if she could kindly go with him. She was curious, and very excited, to say the least - excited to see Cam again. And Ash couldn't very well refuse his sister's wishes (he knew Cam was right when he said he couldn't resist his sister's demands, just like how Cam could't resist a stray cat's meow), so...

_'Goddess, why do I love and spoil her so much...?'_ Ash thought. He was a slave to his own little sister... That... Was pretty damn low...

He traveled so far by horse, and now, here he was... Legitimately knocking on Cam's door, panicking over just how he could make the situation as less awkward as could be... He put his forehead to the door in misery and in wait. He knocked for minutes, and minutes, and minutes, and...-

"Do you think anybody's home?" Cheryl pondered, pointing a finger to her lip.

_'If nobody's home, I swear to the goddess almighty that I-'_

_Bam._

Ash fell flat on his face the moment the door had finally opened. The one who had answered it was Laney, who stood aside, avoiding Ash's impact.

Cheryl walked in, uncaring to her brother's fall as she held a hand up to greet Laney. "Hi, Laney! My brother and I are here to see Cam. Is he here?"

Laney, for the most part, was speechless. She was astonished to see departed friends from long ago at her house. She put a hand to her soon-appearing smile in much delight. "I'll go make some tea. Please, seat yourselves wherever. I'll be right back." She trotted away, leaving nothing more to be said.

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><p>Howard was squealing with joy. "Oooooh! It's so good to see the two of you alive and well! I'll have you know I haven't forgotten about either of you! I've kept you in my heart for years now!"<p>

_For years now...? He acts like it's been longer than two years..._

From the corner of her eye, Laney glared at her father. She sipped tea, agitated with his remark. "Dad, aren't the cupcakes burning...?"

Howard threw his hands to his mouth in shock. "Oh dear! I almost forgot!" He rushed to the kitchen to retrieve cupcakes from the oven. The cupcakes were, needless to say, burnt. "Oh, such a pity...," he said, holding a tissue to his teary eye.

Everyone neglected his comment, going about their conversation. Ash was the first to resume talking.

"So... Cam... Is he here?" He asked Laney.

Laney, who was sitting directly opposite from Ash at the table, put her cup down and did no more than stare at it - then smiled with her eyes closed, relaxed. "I thought you'd come back to look for him some day... However, under his specific order, Cam told me not to tell you where he's at."

"He did what?" Ash asked, hurling over the table to view closely at her face; trying to determine what she was trying to pull, if anything at all.

She smiled more, glancing up to Ash at once. "Ash, I understand that departing from Cam must have costed you a heart... But please be aware that it was _you_ who decided to leave without a second's worth of goodbye. You don't know how much more you had hurt Cam than you did yourself. He told me everything."

"He told you... Everything...?"

"What does that mean?" Cheryl cut in - curious. She was sitting next to her brother, grasping her cup of tea when she looked up at Laney to ask her question.

"Everything... Does that mean...," Ash murmured, ignoring his sister. He was then succumbed to shock. "Ah! The kiss!" His hands flew to either side of his head out of a sudden catch of insight. He was blushing.

"The kiss...? What kiss?" Cheryl questioned, still confused.

Ash put his hands over his sister's ears so that she could hear no more. "Ahahaha... Nothing you should concern yourself with, my darling Cheryl... You probably shouldn't even be listening to any of this at all..."

Ash was... Utterly... Embarrassed.

Cheryl became annoyed with her brother, being unable to hear. "Ash... I can't hear you..."

Obviously stirred, Ash snapped at Laney, "Why'd you have to say that in front of Cheryl?"

Laney giggled. "I didn't say anything. You were the one who mentioned the kiss."

He crossed his arms, sinking in his seat. He knew she was right - to his bitter acceptance. "Then... You _do_ know about the kiss..."

Again, Laney was giggling. "At first, I was a bit surprised myself, but when I realized how heartbroken Cam was... I knew it was serious, then."

"Cam was... Heartbroken...?"

Laney didn't seem to reply to that question. "You two are welcome to stay overnight if you choose. If you want answers, you'll have to pay Lillian a visit. I'm afraid that's all I can tell you, Ash. I wish you good luck." She winked and picked up her cup of tea, leaving the room.

_'If Cam doesn't want me to know where he's at... Then why didn't he just say not to look for him too...? Unless he does want me to look for him... If that's the case, then-'_

Cheryl rose a fist, riled and determined. "All right! We'll look for Lillian first thing tomorrow morning! We just got to find her! We got to! Are you in, brother!"

Ash sighed.

_At least she has spirit..._

His head drooped. "Yeah, sure, whatever..."

_'If Cam wants me to look for him... Then could that mean... He still wants me around...?'_

* * *

><p><strong>Oh, by the way, does anybody read Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi? It's the best yaoi ever. If you do read it, you must tell me when the next chapter will come out! I've seriously been suffering from withdraw for three months now... Well, I'm sure every fan has. I heard the next chapter is suppose to come out by the end of this month, but I'm not sure if I should believe that or not... If it does, it'll be the best birthday present ever! I would pee my pants! :3 <strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**You have every right to punch me in the face, I know! It took me longer than expected to get chapter seven up! I'm sorry! Please don't slaughter me!**

**But... Thank you to all you kindhearted people who put this story on their favorite's list! I very much appreciate it! Oh, and on their story alert, too! It means a lot to me! :D**

**And thank you, anonymous reviews! **

**No really, thank you. That wasn't sarcasm.**

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><p><em>Chapter Seven<em>

_'Lillian... That dirt-blonde-haired girl of whom I used to have such a heavy crush on... Was no more a precious jewel in my head... She was now just an image of whom I used to know... But I still remember Cam, Laney, and Howard - just like I had met them yesterday. Well, of course I would remember them that way. They've been the most important people in my life since forever now (in exclusion to my family.) But Lillian? Lillian was just... Some farmer, like me, who just happened to be relatively attractive enough to have caught my eye at first greet. Not to mention, the two of us hardly ever talked to one another... It was her physical appearance that had drawn me so. I don't even remember how I met her. She was just... There - as heartless as it may sound to be.'_

_'Cam's hair was that same color... That same dirt-blonde color... What a nice color to see - such a pretty color... And his eyes accented that color with a brimming green.'_

Ash's face twisted in disgust.

_'What am I talking about! He's a guy, for goddess' sake! And my best friend, to add to it!'_

_'Okay, I can pull through this - no worries. All I have to do is ask Lillian where he is - and hopefully he won't be too far from my reach. Then I'll just go to him, beg at his feet for forgiveness, and everything will return back to the way it was two years ago, right? Yes, that's it. I just have to convince myself that this will all work out without any trouble whatsoever. He'll understand, won't he?'_

Ash's sister walked alongside his brother, down a deserted pathway around the edge of town. She tore petals from a flower's core, leaving the pink rubbish in a trail. The trail accumulated from behind. She glanced up to him, curiously, only to witness how many expressions he was making. He looked troubled and rather funny-looking. He was switching from face to face, displaying each face to be more dramatic each time.

"You're making really weird faces, brother..."

Taken aback, Ash drew his attention to his sister and smiled. A drop of sweat seemed to have formed on his head. "Oh, am I? Sorry about that..." He looked straight ahead, subconsciously returning to another one of his dramatic expressions. Cheryl noticed that he was doing it again, but this time, she spoke nothing of it. She only frowned to this behavior and continued plucking at the petals.

She was staring at the flower as if she were moved by it. "... Cam likes flowers, doesn't he?" She mentioned, after a few intervals of pause.

Ash gazed at her blankly. He merely blinked. "Yeah. Why?"

His sister smiled a cute and innocent smile. "Because maybe if you give him flowers, he won't be upset with you anymore."

_Huh? Give him flowers? But that's...-_

Ash forced an effortless laugh. Cheryl was such a pure and innocent child - a very good kid.

"But, Cheryl, you can't give _guys_ flowers."

"Why not?"

Ash froze, figuratively, and literally, too. He appeared to have pondered his sister's question. _Shouldn't she know? At least by now?_ He just stood there awkwardly, before he strained yet another smile. "W-Well... Because... Guys don't give other guys... Flowers."

His reply seemed to have irked Cheryl. She folded her arms and faced the opposite direction from Ash - disagreeing with him. "Well that's just the dumbest thing ever."

_It was?_

Ash merely straightened himself in posture and scratched his head. "... Um..."

_It wasn't dumb... Was it? He was pretty sure that it wasn't right to... Do things like that for another guy..._

"If you're going to think that way, I'll just go home."

"Um, no, Cheryl - wait. Don't go home by yourself. It's too far."

"Then you better make sure you make it up to Cam somehow. He won't forgive you if you're going to be like that."

Ash sighed. He knew his sister was right. "Yeah, yeah... I know..."

"So you're going to give him flowers, okay?"

Ash just wanted to say he would do it and be done with it; make her happy and then move onto some other bigger and brighter topic. "Yeah, okay, whatever..."

"Good."

The only good thing was... Was that she probably didn't know what sort of predicament Ash was seriously involved in - with his friend, Cam, and all. And the kiss the two friends had shared... Words could not describe how utterly happy Ash was to be almost positively certain that his sister didn't know about the kiss. If she had, all hell would break loose, and Ash would surely be spiraling down an eternal, black abyss right about now for the rest of his pathetic, miserable life...

* * *

><p>They reached Lillian's house. Ash stood directly in front of the door with his sister by his side.<p>

_ This scene sure as hell looks familiar..._

"I'll knocked!" Cheryl gleefully pledged. She knocked on the door relatively hard. "Anybody home?" She sang.

Somebody came to answer the door several seconds afterward, holding a child in arms. It was Lillian.

And she had a child.

Wait.

She had a child?

Lillian merely stared at Ash. She stared at him for a good few minutes. "... Ash? Is that you?"

Ash smiled awkwardly, as always. "Hey, Lillian, what's up?"

Lillian just stood there, continuing to stare. Her focus drew to Ash, and then to Cheryl, and then back to Ash again. "Well..." She stepped aside. "Do you want to come in?"

Cheryl rose a hand - as happy as could be. "Sure, we'd love to! C'mon, Ash!" She dragged her defenseless brother into the house without his consent over the matter.

"Uh, Cheryl, hey, wait," Ash begged, but it was already too late.

_Great. This is going to be as awkward as hell... And Cheryl, unfortunately, doesn't seem able to detect this..._

So here Ash was. Standing in his what used-to-be crush's house... Wanting to leave. Now.

To add to the flustered mess, a well-built man walked into the same room as Ash, Lillian, and Cheryl - the same room they were all in now, by the front door. He let loose a spirited laugh as soon as he caught glimpse of Ash, and waved a welcoming hand to him. "Hey, it's Ash. I haven't seen you around in ages." He noticed Cheryl, too. "And Cheryl. Have you made friends in your new hometown?"

Cheryl nodded very animatedly. "Uh-huh."

Ash butted in, confused. Something just wasn't making sense. "Wait. Kana. I thought you lived in Konohana... What are you doing here...?"

"Well I did," Kana confessed, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly before adding more, "But then I met with Lillian here..."

Effortlessly, Ash pointed a rising finger to him, frowning whilst still looking very puzzled. And he was... Still... Being very dense. "... So...?"

"We're married," Lillian told him as she came to Kana's side soon after, hugging him around his waist.

Ash's jaw dropped. _Ah, epiphany had hit him at last._ He panicked, "U-Uh, what? Y-You two are married! For real!"

Kana, again, rubbed the back of his neck, chuckling awkwardly. "Ahahaha... It's true. Guilty as charged."

Lillian smiled. "The two of us have known each other for the longest time now, but we had never really confessed to each other about such feelings as of that. We married almost as soon as you left, Ash," she explained.

"Huh? But..." Ash stumbled over his words. "I-I thought you liked Cam."

"Hm?" Lillian blinked. "Cam?"

"Y-Yeah... You said two years ago that you had a crush on him..."

"Oh yes, I remember that..." She put a finger to her lip and gazed upwards - lost in thought. She then gave Ash another smile. "But that was two years ago. Feelings change over time, you know? Besides that, Cam's left town for good."

Ash stared at her. The sudden realization of something vexed him as he bolted to Lillian in only a mere second - lightning fast. "Ah, Lillian! You have to tell me where Cam is! Please! I'm begging you!" He pleaded at her feet, grasping at her pant-legs.

"Uh..."

_How embarrassing..._

A drop of sweat appeared on Lillian's head as she looked down at him, bored-faced. "Um... Ash...?"

Kana cut in, ready to assist Ash in his quest, "He went to-"

But Lillian smacked a hand to her husband's mouth at once.

"Kana!" She spat, enraged.

_'Huh? What was he going to say...?_

_Are they... Hiding something from me...?'_

Lillian grinned at Ash, holding her hands behind her back - trying to play off the recent incident in an innocent fashion. "Cam went, uh... He just... He just went somewhere. But hey, it's better to look for him than to just stand around, eh?" She insisted, nudging Ash out the door, leaving Cheryl behind.

"Am I staying with you, then?" Cheryl asked innocently. She stood directly behind her.

"U-Uh, no. You have to go with your brother, sweetie." Lillian picked her up and placed her outside beside Ash like she were some furniture to be moved and patted her on the head.

"But hey, wait! What are you hiding from me," Ash urged. "Where's Cam?"

"Shh!" Lillian hushed. She closed in on Ash's face, and whispered, glancing about anxiously, "If you want to know where Cam is... Then I suggest you find my friend in the mountains... Here's a map on how to get to her..." She handed him a map that displayed the locations of the mountain-area. "You didn't hear anything from me..." She slowly crept backwards into the house very spookishly as darkness encased around her. The door closed hauntingly - creaking as it did.

_Oh... My... Goddess..._

_What just happened?_

Ash scratched the back of his head as he peered down at the map he now held in his hands. His sister scooted her way in, studying it as well. They were in wonder...

Cheryl pointed a small finger at a random house on the map - the only house on the map. "Do you think that's it?"

Her brother angled the map in all directions, contemplating it. "It's... The only house on the map... So I guess so...," he said -finally.

_'Goddess... What have I gotten myself into...? I just want to find my best friend... Why should it be my job to search for him...? I mean, just where in the world is he? Come on - please just tell me already!'_

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><p><strong>To be continued... Muhahahaha...<strong>

**Oh yes, and I'm adding The Oracle as a member to my story in the next chapter. No one seems to include her as a character in their stories, strangely enough... But I love her! So... Here's the catch: if I do add her, I just might possibly write out her real name... So if nobody wants me to spill the beans on them, they should consult me at once! Otherwise, I will do as I please... Mufufufufu...**

**Please continue to support Ash on his quest to find his beloved Cam! :3**

**Love you all! You're all so fabulous and beautiful! Until next time!**

**Yaoi cookies, anyone?**


	8. Chapter 8

**So I decided not to write The Oracle's true name in this chapter. I was originally going to post a "spoiler alert", but eh... I figured her real name wasn't really needed to be said. You're welcome.**

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><p><em>Chapter Eight<em>

Ash had been to the mountains numerous times when he was a kid. He used to go with Cam all the time and explore the whole area. He used to investigate all there was to be seen in the place, and thought for sure there wasn't a place left in it that was yet to be discovered. And he thought, along with Cam, that he just may have been the best adventurer there was in the world... However... That theory had proven false as he now stood before a line of trees, glancing back and forth from them to the map Lillian had just given to him only moments before. He held it directly in front of his face, tracing his eyes over it again and again to make certain that he hadn't missed some sort of hidden path or route - or any direction that may have brought him to his wanted destination. He was puzzled, to say the least. He scratched his head in mystery - for no direction, as far as he could see, could be found on the map. The house itself may as well not even existed at all.

_He thought he was the best adventurer in the world... Such naive thoughts... What a load of crap._

He grimaced.

"Brother," his sister began - slowly and thoughtfully. "Are we lost?"

The farmer cringed, having a fit of frustration building inside. He crinkled the map in a tight grasp. It wasn't Cheryl's inquiry that had pained him so. No, it was the unsuccessful discovery of the location of the house that had him tense.

"No, Cheryl, we are _not_ lost... I just can't find the DA-" His voice started to raise.

Shit, no. _Damn?_ He couldn't say such fowl language in front of his sister... It would be wrong. She was too young.

"The... What?" Cheryl persisted.

Ash brushed his frustration away, restraining his speech - for the better moral of the conversation. "The house...," he mumbled. "I can't find the house..."

"Oh, well why didn't you just say so?" His sister told. She looked about impatiently all around herself. She finally found something worth searching for after some time and pointed to a random girl she saw that she deemed worthy of considerable service- a girl who could possibly help them in their hunt. "Hey, why don't we go and ask that girl if she knows where we can find the house?"

The girl that Cheryl was pointing to was pacing back and forth in front of a river, muttering something to herself that couldn't quite be understood. She had unusual pink hair and eyes. She tapped a finger to her lip anxiously, like she were dwelling on some particular thought that wasn't quite well-suiting to her taste. And her outfit looked outdated. She even knocked a knuckle on her head in a strange manner from time to time... The only words that were anywhere near close to being comprehensible at all were: "No, no, NO... Not like THAT."

Ash scratched his head at his sister's suggestion, taking notice to the stranger of a girl. "I don't know... She looks kind of busy..."

"It'll be fine!" Cheryl assured, grabbing her brother's hand. "Come on!" She practically dragged him over to the distraught, pacing girl. "Um, excuse me," she pardoned, glancing up to the girl. "But do you know-"

She was cut short by the girl suddenly clamping her hands together. She seemed delightfully pleased. "Ah, finally I have someone to test on! Come now, this way!" She urged, grasping Ash's wrist and beginning to pull him in whatever direction. "You shall be my new guinea pig!"

Ash barely had a choice in the matter. The girl was already doing as she pleased - bringing him in some path he was unfamiliar with...

"Um, excuse me?" He uttered. He hadn't a clue what she meant. But his inquiry came to be unnoticed as he was now taken into a small, humble abode that appeared rather worn-down from years and years of age.

The strange girl (or so Ash had believed her to be strange) shoved some type of bluish liquid in front of Ash's face, carried by a bottle of some sort. "Go on. Drink it. Tell me what you think."

What was the matter with her? Of course Ash wasn't going to drink anything like that...

As that was going on, Cheryl had grabbed the map from Ash's hand and took it with her outside the house. Unfolding it before her face, she took multiple glances from the house to the map again, doing such a process without rest. It was just as she thought. The house on the map and the house she stood before now were completely identical to one another - an entire match. But... What she couldn't fully grasp was this: why couldn't they find this house to begin with?

Ash waved his hands to the pink-haired girl apologetically. "N-No thanks," he declined to her prior statement.

The girl crossed her arms, very displeased with his answer. "What? WHAT? You dare defy ME?"

"Um... I'm sorry, miss, but I don't even know who you are..."

"How could you? How could you not know me? ME? The Almighty Oracle."

Cheryl, who was still outside the house, ignored both Ash and the girl as she continued her multiple glances at the map and the house. She was dumbfounded. The house, as it turned out to be, was only a few feet from where she and Ash had started. That is - before they met with the girl.

Ash went on to explain. "I-I'm sorry... But I was only trying to find a house... And my sister, Cheryl, she just came to-"

The peculiar girl enclosed on his face. There was only an inch that remained between the two. "A house, you say?" Curiosity had taken the best of her. "State your name," she demanded.

"Um... Ash?"

She drew a finger to her lip, tapping on it in much thought - pondering immensely. "Ash... Ash, Ash, Ash... " A light bulb switched on at once. She snapped her fingers. "Oh yes, you're just the person Lillian sent for. I hear you're on a mission to find your long-lost friend. Is that right?"

_Hope had arrived at Ash's feet at last. He was finally going to know what was going on with Cam._

"Cam... Y-You know about Cam?"

"I know about the whole ordeal, yes."

"Y-You do? Th-Then can you tell me where to find hi-"

"Hush..." The girl put a finger to Ash's mouth, quieting him immediately. "And tell me one more thing... Are you ready for your final test?"

"My final test? What's this all abo-"

"Tell me. Will you stop at nothing to find your beloved friend? Or will your journey end here?"

_What was she talking about? She was strange, there was no doubt about it. But Ash couldn't stop here. Not here. He couldn't. He'd do all he could in his power to find Cam again, and he was sure of it. He was certain and he was positive. He would do whatever it would take to find Cam again._

"Huh? What? I-I'll do anything to find Cam! Please just tell me already!"

"If you say you will do anything..." The girl's expression converted from a dramatic one to a now playful grin. She stuck a mysterious potion in front of Ash's face. "Then... Would you even drink this potion?"

"Huh?" Ash merely stared at the potion. It was the same potion she had shoved in his face earlier. "What's... In it?" He asked.

Could it be dangerous?

"It's a mystery. Who can tell? It may even prove to be fatal."

Ash adjusted his focus back onto the girl, gazing into her devilish smile. "... Okay... And if I drink this, you'll tell me where Cam is, correct? Even if I die?"

"That's correct."

Cheryl rushed into the house - alarmed. She heard every last bit of detail to the conversation, and could sense that her brother was in grave danger. "Ash! Don't do it!"

"Don't listen to her," ordered the stranger of a girl. "Drink, drink, drink! You want to find your dear friend, Cam, don't you?"

"Yeah, but it's pointless if I'm going to die...," Ash said.

"Ah. So that's what you think... But is it?"

She was trying to confuse him - Ash knew. And the better part of his brain was bewaring him of danger. It was telling him it was all a lie; a trap; a scandal. And he knew that, typically, he would take heed to such a warning... But... But why was the other part of his brain insisting that he drink the potion?

He thought about it. He thought about it long and hard.

And then... A familiar question came to mind.

If Cam seriously didn't want Ash to find him, then... Then he would have not even told him to search for him at all, right? And if that's the case, then... Then he _does_ want him to look for him. Wasn't that right? If that's really so... Then all of this is a set-up. Isn't it?

Ash tried to rationalize. He wanted so badly to believe that _that_ was Cam's plan.

If everything is as Ash figures it to be, then he wouldn't be harmed by drinking the potion. Because... Because... Cam _wanted_ Ash to find him. It would be futile if he died now. Cam wanted Ash to find him because... He still... Wanted to be friends with Ash?

Ash believed in that. He had to believe in that. He had to believe in his new found theory. He _had_ to. Because he trusted Cam - and not because the theory was his only hope...

So he drank.

_'Cam still wants me around... Because we've been through everything together... And he still wants us to be friends... So I have to trust in him...'_

_'The last thing I heard - before my eyes went entirely black... Was my sister screaming my name... And the victorious cry of the strange, bizarre girl, cheering "yes", over and over again...'_

_'Then I hit the floor.'_

* * *

><p><strong>No, I did <em>not<em> kill Ash. If I did, it wouldn't be much of a story, now would it? I mean, come on - I hardly even got to any of the romance yet. **

**So... What will happen next? Will Ash finally be reunited with his beloved Cam? **

**Stay tuned! ;D**

**I love cliffhangers. Don't you?**


	9. Chapter 9

_Chapter Nine_

It was dark. It was quiet.

When Ash had fully regained consciousness, he could neither see nor hear anything. He sat up in bed, having merely two thoughts on his mind: he wondered where he was, for starters, and then he grew curious for his sister, Cheryl. Where was she? Was she here, too - lurking in the shadows of the pitch-black room? Ash wouldn't know unless he called out her name and gave her voice a try. He pleaded and hoped that she would answer.

"Cheryl?"

But no such reply came. And soon, Ash felt very uneasy. He crawled out from bed, relentlessly hunting the room for an exit or a light. And to his very relief, he found a particular, cracked-open door that allowed such a yellowish glow to seep through - emitting a way of escape. He went forth to follow that light, coming through the cracked door and hanging a left. He drew to a complete stop when he met with the end of the hallway he had just ventured through. _It was the end of the line._ Now he peeked around one corner of the wall to absorb all the light that the prior door had hinted to: the light that he had been sneaking up on this whole time. There, around that corner of a wall, his eyes met with the figure of a man - probably around the same age as Ash - who, with his back turned, snipped at several stems of several flowers, sitting all-too-calmly in a chair at a small, rectangular, wooden table.

Ash had thought the man to look familiar. But he had rather thought to just stay put and watch what would happen next than to take investigation into his own hands.

_Where in the world was he?_ What it appeared to be, in accordance to Ash, was a petite flower shop. Flowers and various other flower-related things were arranged throughout the room. They were found on walls and tables and just about anywhere one could look.

In due time, the scene had produced a woman who trotted across the floor and to the man-like figure. The woman's identity was unknown to Ash. She planted a kiss on the man's head, and then pushed his hat down just below his eyes in a teasing manner. She thus began her leave. "G'night," she said, smiling at the man before she left the scene entirely.

The man seemed to have angled his head just far enough for Ash to view his facial features. This had happened when the man had directed his attention to the girl in his means of returning a faint, feeble smile at her before she had left, lifting his hat back up as he did. His features made Ash's heart drop still and to have his eyes widen in shock. What Ash had discovered was the identity of the man. It was Cam.

Ash immediately turned on his heels, ridding himself from sight so that Cam wouldn't happen to find him snooping about - or really - to have him not notice him at all. He panicked over just what his next course of action should be, but more importantly: _who was that woman? Cam's girlfriend? Wife, perhaps? He couldn't have gotten married in two-years-time, could he?_

Ash poked his head out to check on things again, doing so cautiously. It had proven to be a bad idea, however. Cam was already walking towards him and he had to hide twice as fast if he was ever to see the light of day again. So he had retreated instinctively. His heart throbbed so hard in his chest - it was unbearable. He peeked out again several seconds later to find him standing at a table that was against one wall, near to him. The table had an assortment of flower decor, and Cam was messing with it, picking up ribbons, tape, and others accessories alike.

Ash hid - yet again. He gulped. A rush of heat had invaded his cheeks.

_'What should I do? Should I say something? Will he know it's me if I just speak up?'_

The sudden voice of Cam became heard: "I see you're awake. That's good to know. I thought you were going to sleep forever...," he said, smiling only little.

Ash stood still. He was motionless. He was surprised to have heard Cam's voice rise so suddenly.

Silence had filtered in the room. Ash didn't dare to say anything for such a long, given amount of time.

"... Wh-Where's Cheryl?" He finally asked timidly. The question was the best response he could manage to bring up, and a very poor one to bring up at that.

"I sent her home," Cam replied. "I figured your mother must have been very worried. I would have sent you home, too, but..."

"... But...?"

"But you came all this way just to find me, right?"

Ash blushed further. His thoughts became tangled. _Cam knew he was looking for him? For how long had he known?_

"... Cam... I...-"

"Still... I'm happy that you did. At first, I didn't think my plan was going to work... In fact, I never dreamed that you would come looking for me at all."

"Huh? You..." Ash's face twisted to a look of annoyance and disapproval. "So you actually _did_ set me up? Why would you do that? I spent hours - a day, even - just to find out where you were! For goddess' sake, I nearly _died_ for you!" He shouted, enraged. He was referring back to the moment in time in which he was forced to drink that mysterious potion from that mysterious girl, and... To _almost_ die because of it. Well, he very well could have died, anyway...

Cam chuckled to his friend's remark, having hardly any control over his own laughter. "I'm sorry, but... The potion-drinking wasn't a part of my plan. I wasn't anticipating that at all, to be honest. I was actually worried sick when you arrived here with your sister, passed-out."

_'Is he... Is he making fun of me?'_

"...But... But still," Ash pressed on. "You still didn't have to send me on a whole damn quest!"

Cam smiled more. His smile was warm and kind - just like him. His hands stuck into his pockets. "I wanted to know how far you would go just to see me again... I thought putting you to the test was the best way to measure such an obstacle."

_'Huh? He was... Testing our friendship? Or no, he was...'_

"..."

"As it turns out, you like me more than I thought."

Ash shot up. By this point, his cheeks had become such a bright red that it burnt. He truthfully didn't know what to say.

_'He was actually... Evaluating my fondness for him...'_

Without the slightest perk of Ash's awareness, Cam came over to him and stood right in front of him now, exhausting that gentle smile of his all the more. He presented some type of flower that he had picked up from the table earlier. He held it out to Ash. Ash took it in turn, gazing down at it blankly. He wasn't so much puzzled as he was surprised. The flower was known to be a jonquil, but Ash didn't know that because he had never known that much about flowers to begin with. He wasn't some sort of flower-expert, let's face it. That was Cam's job. But nonetheless, the flower was very pretty and beautiful. It was a pure white color and it extracted the essence of delicacy.

There came a _thud_ to Ash's left. That thud came from Cam, who had slumped his back against the wall - just next to Ash. He produced a long, lengthy sigh... But he had said nothing after that.

_Was the flower just meant to be a gift? If so, for what reason?_

It was silent again. The atmosphere composed some sort of heavy, awkward tension. Or so, that's what it felt like for Ash. His mind was still clouded with so many unnecessary thoughts. He strained himself to search for anything that he could say to Cam that might possibly lift the atmosphere's unbearable weight. He even wondered if he should talk about Cam and his new flower shop... But that would sound stupid, wouldn't it?

Suddenly, he hit the back of his head on the wall out of frustration. He just remembered - after gazing at the jonquil for so long - that he had promised Cheryl that he would give Cam some flowers whenever he find him again. _Crap._

"Ugh! I forgot!"

Cam's attention was drawn, and he looked quite concerned. "Hm?"

"I was going to get you flowers too! Damn it!"

Ash's response seemed to have surprised him. "You were... Going to get me flowers...?" He asked, blushing faintly enough to have made his cheeks appear pink rather than red.

Ash's eyes widen. _What did he just say? Did he actually confess that he was planning to get Cam some flowers?_ His cheeks flared a red and he turned to Cam at once, pushing a smile. "Oh - uhh... W-Well, yeah, sort of... Cheryl kinda suggested it, and I... W-Well, just forget about it... I didn't really mean to-" He was cut short by Cam forcing a passionate kiss on his lips. His eyes widened all the more and his blushing cheeks had come back to embarrass him. Cam had him pressed against the wall with both his hands up to block his head on either side of it.

When Cam had pulled from him, his gaze fell to the floor.

There came that awkward silence again. But now it was even more awkward than the last.

Cam's face became partially obscured by his hair when his head had narrowed, too. But even when his expression became so hard to make out... Ash could still see the redness on his cheeks that he couldn't quite seem to hide all too well, although he had hidden his eyes perfectly. Was he embarrassed too?

It was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop a mile away. In fact, Ash could even hear the softness of Cam's breathing, and it made him wonder if he could hear his breathing as well.

Cam didn't budge - but he did attempt to say something. At first, it came out as a mumble, but then gradually became louder with each proceeding word. "Remember that time, two years ago... When I kissed you behind Georgia's house, and in the pasture...?"

Ash stared at him. "... Cam...?"

"... How were you feeling that day...?"

Ash's heart beat wildly in his chest. He wondered if Cam could hear his heartbeat, too...

"... Umm... Well... I... Umm... Cam? Are you feeling okay?"

"Please just answer."

_Why was Cam asking this? It was way too abrupt._

Ash stirred uncomfortably. The familiar heat returned to his face. He tried to avoid eye contact with his friend.

"... I... Well... Well..."

Great. He caught himself saying 'well' way too much. He was sure he sounded stupid by this point...

He looked to the floor again. "I-I don't really know..."

After hearing that, Cam seemed somewhat displeased with it as he slumped his back against the wall once more, exhaling another one of his sighs. The sigh this time was pushed harder than the previous one.

Ash glanced to him, studying him all around. "... Cam...? Are you okay?"

"... Yeah..."

Ash started to stutter, "... W-well, I mean... I mean i-it's not like I didn't feel anything at all, I just... I just..."

"... You just...?"

"... It felt kinda weird... And kinda..."

"Cam? Are you-" A girl poked her head around the corner of the wall at the two boys. She blinked at them. It was that same girl who Ash had seen from before - the one that had kissed Cam on the head all-too-lovingly. She saw Ash and stopped, mid-sentence. "Oh. You're finally awake. It's nice to see that you're okay. Did you sleep well?" She smiled at him gently.

Ash took notice to her. "Oh, um... Yes, I did. Thanks."

"I'm Rina." She bowed respectfully. "And you're... Ash, right? I heard about you from Cam. He's talked about you quite a bit, I think."

"... He has?"

Cam shifted his eyes from the two - embarrassed. "I have not..."

The girl, Rina, giggled. "So, Cam, are you coming to bed anytime soon?"

"Yeah, I'll... I'll be in there in just a bit," Cam said.

"Okay. Hurry up, 'kay? You know I can't sleep without you."

Rina walked away.

What was Rina to Cam? Ash had to know. So he started to ask, "... Who...," but just as soon as he did, Cam had disrupted him by coming before him and putting his hands up on the wall to limit Ash's movements.

Cam became very serious. "... Stay with me."

"D-Do what?"

"... I'm not letting you go again... I've made up my mind."

_Huh?_

Ash couldn't control his rapid heartbeat. He wanted to escape, but how could he when Cam was blocking his getting-away from either side? So he started to gently shove at Cam's chest, blushing madly. "Ahahaha... Cam, do you even hear yourself? I think all this bouquet-making has gone over your head. You should probably give it a rest; I think it's really getting to you..."

"Ash, I'm serious."

His heart skipped a beat. Cam was serious? But not when he had a girlfriend. Not when he had... No, Ash didn't want to think about it. Now he grew rather agitated and fed-up with Cam. He shoved harder at his chest. "C-Cam, I'm serious. C-Cut it out; it's not funny anymore." He finally broke free of Cam and began his leave.

Cam grabbed his arm firmly to stop him. "Ash, stay with me, please."

"F-For what reason? Why do you want me to stay so badly?"

"Because... I missed you..."

Ash's eyes squeezed shut as he tugged his arm from Cam's hold very forcefully. "W-Well that's just some sappy excuse!" He continued walking, trying to brush aside his guilt of leaving Cam.

But Cam, of course, still wouldn't let him go. He embraced Ash from behind, trying his best to make him stay. "... Please?"

_'Damn, he's persistent. If he keeps this up, I'm going to be... Sucked in.'_

"Cam, I said no! Let go!" He escaped Cam and made his way to the front door and opened it, walking outside. he stopped dead in his tracks.

The breezy wind of the cold night instantly clung to his frail body. But that wasn't the problem. The streetlights, the cars, the buildings... They were all new to Ash. He didn't know where in the hell he was. The lights illuminated the sky better than the stars did, too, proving that this unknown place was somewhere in the middle of a freaking city. One corner of Ash's mouth turned slightly upwards out of sheer disbelief and some strange madness of it all. He couldn't freaking believe it. He couldn't freaking believe that out of all times this could happen - it just so happened to happen now, when Ash had definitely wanted it the least. It was completely unbelievable...

In the midst of Ash's amazement, Cam came out and leaned his shoulder against the door-frame, smiling triumphantly at Ash like he had just earned some damn metal or something... "You have no idea where you're at, do you?"

"Shut up! Yes I do!" Ash barked at him. He scanned his surroundings, making Cam wait eagerly for his next course of action. "I'm, uh... I'm, uh... Somewhere - somewhere in the middle of..." He hunched over, giving in and sighing. A drop of sweat formed on his head.

"Give up?" Cam asked.

"Yeah, whatever... Tell me..."

Cam crossed his arms, feeling quite victorious after Ash's giving-up. He closed his eyes arrogantly. "Well, wouldn't you like to know?"

Ash looked to him, raising an eyebrow.

_'Oh, goddess... Where is he going with this...? That smile doesn't seem too kind...'_

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><p><strong>I ate way too many chocolate bars while writing this... It made me get really hyper, so I'm sorry for such a long chapter... Or, unless... You like really descriptive narrating... Hell if I know...<strong>

**Oh yeah! And if I get at least ten reviews for this chapter alone, I will consider adding a sex-scene to one of my chapters! And if I can get twenty, I will guarantee it! Of course, that is, if you _do_ want a sex-scene... If you don't want one, just review and say you don't want any sex-scenes...**

**AnyWHO! :3**

**And now... A quick interview with Cam:**

**Me: So, Cam, I hear you can understand the meanings of flowers quite well. Tell me, what does the "jonquil" mean, exactly?**

**Cam: ... It means... "Please return my feelings..."**

**Me: Oh, really? Is that what you meant when you gave Ash that jonquil?**

**Cam: *blushes* ... -_-;;; Umm... This is very uncomfortable...**

**Ash: Leave him alone! *insert angry face here***

**Mufufufu! I'm a clever goose, aren't I? I actually researched flowers quite a bit to find the perfect meaning to fit Cam and Ash's relationship as of now.**

**Well... Please R&R! It will greatly depress me if you don't! I will be forced to kill myself, then... (Just kidding.)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Oh, guys, I can't even tell you how happy I am that you reviewed... ;_; I would have been happy with just one review, but I'm so glad a got quite a bit on the last chapter. Thank you all so much...**

**Also, I would like to shamefully point out that the "Rina" in this story is not the same "Reina" in Konohana Town in "Tale of Two Towns." Sadly, I didn't realize that when I thought of her name... (I haven't played ToTT in forever. I'm sorry.) So, yeah, WindRush had to point that out to me. So thank you, WindRush! (I was actually almost motivated enough to go back and change the name, but I didn't - mostly because I knew it would get confusing then, even if I did tell you guys that I changed her name in this chapter. I'm sure some of you don't even read my author notes, anyway. lol. Just because I'm stupid and I ramble about 99% of the time.)**

**Oh yes, and thank you all for being patient with me! I know my first few chapters of this story were pretty lame, so I'm actually pretty surprised that you stuck with me this whole time! So, really, thank you! I promise you that I'm going to try my absolute hardest from now on! XD**

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><p><em>Chapter Ten<em>

All seemed well when Ash awoke the next morning to the beautiful singing of the birds and to the fresh, crisp air of a new day. But... That was before he had opened his eyes to discover and behold the true nature and the true, absolute horror of it all...

He was handcuffed to Cam.

Okay.

... Why?

If Ash remembered correctly, the florist was suppose to be such a kind, gentle, and loving soul... So... Since when had the shy florist become _this_ forward? And so evil, to add to it?

Or no, perhaps the florist had spent way too many days away from Ash and this had caused him to inevitably malfunction. A screw must have become unhinged at one point or another as he spent long hours in his shop - just standing there behind the counter, waiting for the next customer to arrive day after day without moving the slightest bit of a muscle. And all the while, Rina must have been yanking at his arm, pleading at him to stop his "consistent madness" and to just get on with life. But every time, Cam had refused and ignored her... Until, one day, he finally _did_ meet with Ash again, and was able to reprogram his robotic self at last... But... He wasn't fully restored like he should have been - for he still handcuffed Ash's wrist to his own like a madman. The screw wasn't quite screwed in as properly as it should have been, as it had seemed...

Cam had even admitted to doing the "handcuffing" himself and said that he had been planning the scheme all night long. He told Ash that as soon as he woke up in the morning. And when the discussion had died down and dropped a little, the two of them came out of the bedroom and into the kitchen, sitting at the very same table they had been sitting at for several minutes now...

A glint of sunrise leaked through the window and spilled out onto the kitchen floor as both friends, Cam and Ash, sipped their tea as to begin their day.

"You can glare at me all you want. It's not going to make a difference," Cam said indifferently. He saw Ash from the corner of an eye, glaring at him irrefutably.

The farmer slammed his hands onto the table, producing a loud _thud._ "Oh, come on!" He cried. "It's not like I'm going to go anywhere! I don't even know where in the hell I am!" He protested.

"True." The florist took another sip at his tea. "But you could still very well wander off... And besides... I already told you: I'm not letting you go again."

_And since when had Cam become... This possessive?_

Ash's eyes darted away from Cam as he grew more and more quiet with each passing moment. He wanted to cross his arms to at least feel a little more comfortable with himself, but he couldn't seeing as how he had to spare one arm for his friend. And what was even more uncomfortable was the fact that he had to sit so relatively close to his friend at the table. This normally wouldn't bother him, however - but it was just that, lately, Cam had been acting so weird, and... Well... It just made the situation all the more awkward.

Their handcuffed wrists hung below the table and in between the two of them from where they sat.

"... Just where did you get these, anyway?" Ash questioned, mentioning at the handcuffs.

"Rina. She's a police officer, but she also works part-time here at the shop."

"... She's a police officer?"

"Yup."

_How does one be a police officer and a flower shop employee at the same time? The two jobs are the exact opposite of each other. How does that work out?_

"... And she let you have these cuffs?"

"No, but I have every intent to give them back."

"... And when will that be, exactly?"

"Whenever you agree to stay with me, of course," Cam answered simply.

"Does it look like I have a choice in the matter?" Ash snapped. "I already said I didn't know where I'm at so how could I possibly leave now?"

"I'm not talking about that. I mean I actually want you to '_want'_ to stay with me."

Ash stared at Cam momentarily before looking away again. A serious expression took form on his face. "... Whatever...," he mumbled.

After some hesitance, Cam asked, "... Do you want to go to the park?"

The question was random and completely out of the blue. But... Ash didn't dwell too much on it.

"I'll go wherever you go," he said effortlessly. "We're stuck together, remember?" He halfheartedly raised his cuffed arm above the table for Cam to see it, proving his point that the two - really were - stuck together without a doubt. "Thanks to you...," he added lastly.

Cam just smiled at him.

Since when had Ash become _this_ cute? Cam wasn't sure.

* * *

><p>Why did Ash agree to go to the park with Cam? Going to the park required going out into public. And with the two boys being handcuffed together like this, it was bound to look suspicious to the city folk... But maybe a better question to ask would be this: why was Cam okay with this?<p>

While Cam strolled carelessly along the brick road, he pulled Ash along with him like he were some stubborn dog to be walked. Ash continually tried to drag Cam back to stop him from going any farther, but Cam wouldn't let him and he didn't seem to even mind him, either. Every time a random citizen would walk by, Ash felt the overwhelming fear that the citizen would stop and notice them, so he had to block the handcuffs from view even if they were clear over on the other side of the road. It was life-threatening to Ash, but to Cam... It seemingly didn't matter to him at all.

As Ash relentlessly panicked over the whole ordeal, Cam just marched on, reading a book as he did. The book was one that consisted of flower-based material. He was being his typical flower-nerdy self. He pointed at one particular flower on a page, grabbing at Ash's attention. "Look at this flower here." The flower photographed was red in color and had a whitish color surrounding the core of it. "It's called an amaryllis." Cam sighed. "... I wish I could have one of those at my shop..."

Ash stopped squirming when he peered around Cam's shoulder and at the flower pictured in the book. "Why can't you?"

"They're rare. I'd have to get a decent amount of business at my shop before I could save up to buy one of those..."

"Oh, that's too bad..."

The voice of an old woman called out, suddenly. "Oh, well if it isn't Cam! Yoohoo! Over here!"

_Oh my goddess. They've been spotted. And by a sweet, little, old lady, too! It was horrible!_

Cam casually smiled at the old lady and walked up to her, meeting her just outside her house. Unlike Ash, he wasn't the least bit worried about her at all. The lady carried a fancy cane and was dressed quite nicely. "Hello, miss Violet."

Ash had no where to run. He couldn't go anywhere with the stupid handcuffs around his wrist. But that didn't mean he stopped trying to get away. He yanked at Cam's arm, determined to bring him along with him. _He was a flustered mess._ However, Cam persisted to act like he wasn't there at all. He acted like he didn't even exist. _How rude._ Ash was growing more and more irritable by the second. He really _was_ like a dog, prancing all about his friend excitedly, trying to bring his 'master' along with him impatiently.

Even the old woman didn't seem to notice him there. She just smiled at Cam gleefully. "Those flowers you recommended were perfect! She absolutely loved them!"

_She_? Who was _she_? It must have been some girl of whom received certain flowers from Cam. That was all Ash could figure...

Cam shrugged, returning a smile at the lady. "Well, I'm glad you liked them."

The old woman then noticed Ash and turned to him. "Oh? Is this your friend?"

Ash ceased his struggled and gave the woman a shy wave, faking a smile. "Oh, um, why yes... Hi there." He blushed helplessly.

Cam said, "He's a little awkward. I'm sorry."

Ash shot a glare at him that read: _'I'm not awkward, you asshole...'_

Then, the old lady saw the handcuffs that connected the two boys to one another. She gripped at her chin in inquiry as she eyed the nature of the contraption. She couldn't say much else but to say, "Why ya two handcuff'd together?"

Ash thought he was seriously going to vomit just from hearing the sound of those words... He was doomed. That was that. It looked _so_ bad...

"It was a dare," Cam lied, saving both his life and his friend's. Words could not express how utterly relieved Ash was to hear his friend say that. He suddenly was very grateful towards his friend.

The old lady glanced to Ash, hunting for a confirming answer.

The farmer panicked and quickly threw his hand behind his head as to almost look semi-composed. "Oh, right! And we have to wear them the whole day, too! Ahahahaha...!"

The florist continued his smile. "It's a bit of a pain, you know? But at least I'm getting paid for it."

_What was that? What does that mean, exactly...?_

At first, the old lady didn't quite appear to have understood Cam, and stared at him - clueless. But once that was through, she laughed a hardy laugh and nodded. "Oh, I hear ya!" She pounded the end of her cane on the cemented ground. "Well, good luck with your dare, then! Ta ta!" She bid them farewell as she went inside her house, chuckling all the way.

Ash turned to Cam with a grimacing face. He was obviously ticked off. "I didn't appreciate your joke..."

With that, Cam began his walk and adjusted his hat along the way, straightening himself out. They were the only ones on the street now. "What joke?" He teased.

The handcuffs made Ash follow him. They trapped him - and in some way - caged him.

"You know what I mean...," Ash threatened.

"If you say so...," Cam concluded. His eyes were glued to the road ahead of him.

* * *

><p>It was already noon by the time they got to the park. The natural environment put them to ease as they had themselves situated on the ground before a lake that Ash gazed so longingly at. Cam was still reading his book like he had been doing for the past fifteen minutes now...<p>

The romantic atmosphere reminded Ash of the older times when he and Cam used to go out and watch only the river as they conversed on and on about nonsensical things that nobody else could understand. It was just them. Nobody would be able to comprehend just what they would be laughing about when they laughed about the things they laughed about back then... Back when he and Cam were merely just friends and no sort of love interest had ever been introduced; back when Cam had only thought of Ash as a friend... And when they were just teenagers, talking about girls and what they had been up to that afternoon and this and that... Clearly, it was never focused on the certain feelings that Cam somehow developed for his friend...

Clouds crossed paths with the sun and eventually swallowed it whole. The park was now cloaked in a fine grey. It grew dull outside.

"Turn the page, please," Cam said. Every so often he needed the page to be turned. And generally, he would be able to accomplish such a task himself, but with having one hand at the expense to his friend, he just couldn't do it. So, he had to rely on Ash. He had to become completely dependent on him.

_Love was such a burden..._

Ash obeyed his commands. He flipped one page for him and sighed lightly. "... This is stupid...," he mumbled.

"What is?"

"Being stuck together like this..."

Cam shrugged. "It's not all that bad. I can get used to it."

If that was meant to be a joke, Ash wasn't laughing... He released another one of his sighs. This sigh was heavier than the last. There was nothing to say. What could he say? It was boring... He wanted to go home. But he also dearly wanted to stay with Cam... It was all sort of complicated...

Their handcuffed wrists were very near to one another with both being placed almost side by side each other on the ground. Cam took this opportunity to slide his hand directly over top of Ash's without sparing a glance. He just continued reading his book.

Ash gave him a stare.

Cam then gripped his hand gently.

Ash's eyes shifted away. Blood had risen to his cheeks. He narrowed his head, becoming very silent for a good amount of time. "... Cam...?"

"Hm?"

He drooped his head farther. "... Who is Rina, exactly...?"

"I already told you. She works part-time at the shop."

"No, I... I didn't mean that. I mean... What is she to _you?_"

Momentarily, Cam stopped. He looked straight up at the sky and after a minute - he looked straight back down again. He paused. "It looks like it's about to rain soon..." He was always good with predicting the weather - maybe because he had always been so acutely in tune with nature. He brought himself to his feet and assisted his friend to his own, too, as he did so. "Come on." He took a hold of Ash's hand and started to lead him alongside with him. He somewhat chuckled at the misfortune of the bad weather. Their day was ruined, but somehow, that didn't seem to bother him. "Boy, this is familiar," he said. "Wouldn't you agree?"

_Had Cam gone insane?_ Ash hadn't a clue what he meant. He just simply stared at him ever more.

"Rain used to come down on us all the time," Cam resumed. "When we were kids, I mean. And it always used to ruin our play-time..."

Ash still stared. His blue eyes were rounded and big, appearing to almost resemble those of a kitten's: innocent and curious.

Cam pressed on, "Even when we were teenagers and were merely talking outside... Like the day I found that cat and you were all bummed out about Lillian..." He smiled. "And I held your hand for the first time that day..."

Ash's cheeks flared a red. He furrowed his eyebrows, looking a bit irked.

_'Okay, Cam, you can shut up now... This is getting really weird...'_

The florist adjusted his hat and looked back to view Ash's cute, flushed face. His smile grew. "... Do you really think Rina has a chance with me against you?"

Ash became flustered. His eyes darted away from him at once. "Y-You really think I'm competing against her?"

"Why wouldn't you?"

_'Oh, what a humble response...'_

Ash wanted to cross his arms. He wanted to relieve some tension, but alas, a particular hand was preoccupied at the moment... _Damn those cuffs..._ "Likely response," he said. "Very funny."

Cam continued talking about their past as if he hadn't heard a word Ash had said, "... The following day, after the rain had been cleared up... I kissed you for the first time, then, too."

Ash felt like he was going to implode with embarrassment. He cringed and shouted, "W-Would you cut it out! This is getting _really_ weird! Stop it!"

Cam shrugged. "I could do a whole lot worse," he reasoned.

"Yeah? Like how?"

"Well, allow me to demonstrate." He pulled Ash around the street and into an alleyway. Two very tall buildings stood on either side of them now. The two buildings weren't far apart from each other at all, which had caused the two boys to stand relatively close to one another. They were so close, they could hear each others breaths.

_Not a person was to be seen._

Cam pressed Ash against the wall of one building and Ash could only utter, "Wha-? What are you doing?" before he was smothered by an abrupt kiss. He allowed Cam's wet tongue to enter his mouth while their handcuffed hands clasped tightly together with the back of Ash's against the wall. His other hand was free to grip at Cam's shirt. Their tongues collided together, and in time, it had caused Ash to blush like mad. _He couldn't think straight at all..._ It became very hot despite the first few drops of rain falling down on them. Their hands became damp and clammy, but that didn't seem to matter at all as they progressed ever so slowly. Cam's cold hand ran up and under Ash's shirt, and although Ash had fought to hold Cam's hand back (with the handcuffed one, that is), he just couldn't resist the temptation of letting him feel his body. _The pleasure it caused... _He even tried to suppress a moan, but that seemed to escape him as well. _Damn it. He_ _sounded just like a girl._

When Cam thought it would be a good time to quit (before... Uh... Things got a little too out of hand...), he hung to the wall, right beside his friend. (His friend? Were they still considered that, anyway?) His back was against the wall.

Ash bowed his head, gazing at the dirt on the ground. He started to stutter, "... W-Why do you keep doing this...?" He panted slightly. He was still blushing like crazy.

"Doing what?"

"... Kissing me like this..."

Cam smiled at him endearingly, and then responded with, "... Because I love you, of course."

Ash thought he was going to melt just from hearing those words. They were spoken so easily, like Cam had said them countless times before. And they sounded so genuine, too. Ash's heart pounded rapidly inside his chest.

"... So... When you said you were in love with somebody other than that one girl two years ago... Was it...-"

"It was you, yes."

"Why didn't you just tell me, then?"

Cam tipped his hat down, appearing a bit agitated as he produced an uncontrollable blush. "Oh, come on, Ash - a guy liking another guy? It's a little weird, don't you think? And to top it off - you were my best friend."

_Huh? Cam felt the same way?_

"W-Well, so!" Ash snapped back. He pierced away. "Why are you telling me now if it's so embarrassing, then, you idiot!"

"Well I had to tell you some time...," Cam said on a sigh. "And I thought two years was long enough to build up my courage... And so I..." He reddened more. "I swore to it that once I found you again, I'd tell you..."

Cam had liked Ash for this long?

The two didn't dare to say anything, nor look at each other in the face for the longest of times...

_But who is... Rina...?_

The long, dramatic pause was subsided when Cam spoke up abruptly to say, "... So... Wanna go to the movies?"

_'What? He breaks the silence up like that?'_

Ash eyed him suspiciously. "... Sure...," he answered - cautiously.

The florist was, indeed, very awkward. That had never changed during the course of the two years the two friends had been separated...

_Thank goddess for that._

When they got home, after having a joyous time at the movies, and after going to a few other places as well, they met with Rina, screaming, "FREEZE!" just as they opened the door. She pointed a gun at them dangerously, ready to pull the trigger. Needless to say, Ash went pale and immediately collapsed and fainted right after that. His soul must have flew straight from his body. Cam had dropped a few flowers he had carried in his hand; his eyes widened in his alarm.

Rina instantly clung to Cam and embraced him all around. She squealed, "Oh, Cam! It's just you! I was beginning to get so worried that you had been kidnapped that I actually became paranoid!" She then took notice to the handcuffs that joined Cam and Ash together. She put a finger to her lip in rising curiosity. "Oh, so that's where my handcuffs went..."

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><p><strong>I'm probably not going to update on this story for a while, just to let you know. It might be three to four weeks before I finally decide to update. Sorry. I need a break. <strong>

**But maybe if you send me some reviews... I might feel compelled to update sooner. *wink, wink* ;D**

**So, please review! Pretty please with marsh mellows on top? (Did I spell 'marsh mellow' wrong? Hmm...)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Me: I'm so sorry I took so long to update, guys... ;_; I don't deserve to have such nice readers reading my story! DX**

**Ash: T-T;; Ugh... What are you talking about? You're so dramatic...**

**Me: Shuddup! *cries***

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><p><em>Chapter Eleven<em>

The day started off with a question:

"What if I have to use the bathroom?"

Cam shrugged characteristically. "I'll guess I'll have to go in there with you."

Ash leered at him. Needless to say, he didn't take too kindly to that sort of response... And in just a mere minute, a battle had commenced.

How was Ash to use the bathroom if his damn friend went in there with him? The thought seemed just so unbearably uncomfortable to Ash... But... He also knew that he couldn't very well go in there by himself; they were still handcuffed together. And, for some reason, Cam was okay with that? He was seriously _okay_ with going in there with him?

_Hell no._ Ash wasn't going to have any of that.

They argued for a good twenty-five minutes before Rina was to put an end to it. She told the two boys that she really needed the handcuffs back, anyway, so that they may as well give them back to her now. And, quite truthfully, Ash just about thought of Rina as his hero soon after that. He became so grateful of her at that very second, that he actually felt a large amount of relief blow off his shoulders. And although it was Rina who was the one to break up the fight, Ash still felt pretty damn victorious - like it was actually _him_ who was the one who had rendered Cam speechless instead of Rina. To add to it, he taunted his supposed victory in a very flashy manner, too.

_Finally._ The handcuffs were taken off and Ash was free at last.

"You just got lucky, that's all," Cam said, his voice sounding challenging as he stormed his way out of the room. By that, he meant that their battle wasn't quite over just yet. But even so... Ash still felt an overwhelming pride in himself.

Now, at ten o' clock at night, they were in bed. Rina had left earlier that day and had said that she probably wasn't coming back until tomorrow morning. By knowing that, Ash decided that it was safe to presume that she wasn't _actually_ living with Cam. He thought that that could also mean that the two weren't _actually_ married, either...

That was good.

_Wait. That was good? Why was that good?_

Frustrated with himself, Ash turned in the bed.

_'I know they aren't living together, but... Why do I feel so relieved just by knowing that?'_ He thought.

Like him, Cam had also shifted in the bed. But that wasn't abnormal because Cam always tossed and turned in bed. Even as kids, Ash had quickly come to learn this when the two of them would sleep at each other's houses. Cam would always stir in his sleep, causing Ash to stay awake up until midnight... He always seemed just... So very... Restless.

Then another thought crossed Ash's mind:

_Why was he and Cam sleeping together?_

Breaking Ash from his thoughts, Cam turned for the final time and said, "We should go outside."

Ash couldn't find him in the pitch-black room, but he knew that he was laying _somewhere_ beside him.

"At this hour?" Ash asked. "I thought we were suppose to be sleeping..."

"Yeah, but that thought grew boring..." Cam said. He stretched and yawned. "Besides, who sleeps anymore?"

"Lots of people sleep. What are you talking about...?"

Cam got out of bed and went across the room to switch the light on. He did this so quietly, that Ash wondered what he was doing before he did it.

Ash flinched. The light blinded him. _Ow._ He shielded his eyes with one hand, but barely enough so that he could still see Cam's figure by the doorway. "... You're serious about this?" When his eyes adjusted more thoroughly to the light, he saw Cam with his back turned, pulling his own shirt off.

Ash stared. His face began to turn a beet red. He swallowed. _Hard._

Cam, as usual, was just as nonchalant as ever. "Why not? We used to go outside at this hour all the time. Remember?"

"Yeah, but that was when we were little kids," Ash said. He tossed in the bed, closing his eyes only to still see a mental image of Cam with his shirt off. _Damn it. Why was he imagining that?_ He curled into a tighter ball, continuing with, "We're not little kids anymore, Cam."

_'I am not gay. I am not thinking about my best friend that way. Nope. I am straight. I am completely, 100% straight.'_

Cam finished getting dressed. He smiled at his friend endearingly before he went over to sit beside him on the edge of the bed. He leaned over him. "Still, wouldn't it be nice to remember - just once?"

Ash turned to look at him. His eyes widened when he noticed how close the two were together.

"Come on, please?" Cam pleaded more.

Ash couldn't very well say _"no"_ to him... He could never bring himself to do that to _Cam._ So, of course, he had to surrender. He shifted uncomfortably, blushed, and looked away. "Alright, fine..." He mumbled.

In response, Cam leaned over further to press his lips against Ash's forehead, making him flinch again. But this time, Ash didn't flinch because of the light.

"Thank you," Cam whispered, smiling gently.

Red flooded Ash's cheeks as his heart beat rapidly. He watched the florist walk across the room, eventually to stop before a dresser. The florist then began to dig through the dresser's drawers, saying, "I know I'm a bit bigger than you, but here." He tossed clothes at Ash. "Try these on."

Ash gazed down at the clothes momentarily before getting up and starting to undress himself. After a few seconds, he glanced over to find Cam leaning against the wall, still there. "Well?" His eyebrows almost knitted together as he blushed yet again. "Aren't you leaving?"

The florist only crossed his arms, shook his head, and smiled. "Nah, I thought I could stick around for a bit, you know?"

The farmer glared and pointed towards the door. "No. Get out," he said firmly. He resumed undressing himself, thinking for sure that Cam would leave this time.

But he didn't.

"Can I dress you?"

Ash stiffened, blushing ever more. His eyes shot open. "Uh, wha...?" He immediately faced Cam. "Y-You're still here? G-Get out! I'm serious! Get out or I won't go out with you!"

Cam's expression looked slightly surprised as his eyes grew.

_Wait. That... Didn't come out right. Did it?_

Ash panicked. "N-No! Wait! I-I didn't mean it like _that!_ I meant... I meant!"

But despite Ash's ongoing parade of embarrassment, Cam didn't seem like he was listening to a word he blurted out at all. Cam left the room, smiling his customary smile as he left.

By now, Ash should have just given up, but he couldn't. His pride wouldn't allow that. "I-I meant 'going out' as in literally going outside, not as in: 'I want to date you!'" But his constant shouting proved to no avail. He flopped down onto the bed, groaning quietly, sulking in his defeat.

_It was futile._

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><p>"This isn't a date."<p>

"I know." Cam twirled a flower between his fingers. He had his chin resting in his other hand with his elbow on his knee as he sat beside his friend on the steps. "You told me that about a dozen times by now."

"I just want to make sure you know."

"You're the only one who still seems to think that." Cam smiled, handing the flower over to Ash. The flower was red and vivid in color. Ash honestly didn't know why he kept giving him flowers... He was a guy, for goddess' sake.

_Wait. Didn't Cam say before that red flowers were meant to symbolize love and affection?_

Dwelling on that thought, Ash froze, blushing without even realizing it. Back before he and Cam departed, Ash always used to wonder why red flowers were given out on Valentine's Day. He especially wondered why roses were always the prime choice for giving. So, he figured he would turn to Cam for the best answer. Cam was so familiar with flowers, so he was pretty sure he would know. That was when Ash found out that roses ideally meant "love."

Cam ascended his gaze upon the lustrous, starry, night sky. The two sat in perfect solitude. The night was cold, but that didn't seem to disturb either of the two from their thoughts. The faint noise of crickets chirping could be heard in the background.

"... So how do you like it here?" Cam finally asked, deciding that it was a good time to break the silence.

"... It's not that bad. I mean... Aside from having to stay here against my will, I can say I rather enjoy it here..." Ash said, and he probably said that more serious than what he intended for. He grew quiet, gazing down between his feet. "Of course...," he started again, sounding even more serious than last time, "I'm happy to be anywhere just so long as it's with you..."

Excitement built in Cam's chest as he turned his head to look at his friend. His cheeks turned a pink as he stared at him, wide-eyed. Ash seemed to have noticed this because he frantically replied with, "I-I mean - as a friend, of course. Y-You knew that, right?" He, too, was blushing, just like Cam was.

Cam looked away. "I never knew you could be so romantic, Ash..." He smiled to himself, knowing that Ash probably meant what he said. He could feel his heart tear a little, but he still somehow managed to appear rather composed despite that.

"Huh? Wha...? I-I'm not romantic!" Ash countered.

With one arm, Cam drew Ash closer to him. "Sit closer to me."

"Eehhh, n-no way!" Ash heaved at Cam's chest, trying to free himself from his hold. "L-Let me go! I'm not romantic, do you hear me?"

In a way to cease his struggling, Cam pinned Ash down on the ground by his wrists. Afterwards, he didn't hesitate to kiss him (a little bit too roughly) on the lips. Ash was shocked, even after Cam pulled away.

"... I love you."

_Why...?_

"Huh?" Ash tossed his head to the side, blushing profusely. "Wh-What does that even mean?" He squeezed his eyes shut. "You love me _how?_ As a friend, as a pet, as a brother?"

Ash could hear Cam chuckling from above.

"None of those make much sense..."

Ash opened his eyes. "Sh-Shut up! Nobody asked you!" He stammered.

"Well, how do you think I mean?"

"I don't know! That's why I'm asking!"

"Well, I kiss you, don't I? Don't you think you should know by just that?"

"Sometimes..." Ash squinted slightly at Cam. "Relatives can kiss each other..." He knew that that excuse sounded pretty lame, but what else was he to say? He couldn't honestly believe that Cam would feel like _that..._ There was just no way.

"Yeah, but we're not exactly relatives, now are we?"

Ash was, undoubtedly, defeated. Once again. But, hey, at least he won that one argument this morning, right? He couldn't think too down on himself (even though it was actually _Rina_ who broke up the fight... But... He would neglect that detail for the moment...)

Cam laid down on Ash, hugging him tightly. "... Why are you denying how I feel for you...?"

Outside just got a lot hotter. Ash shifted awkwardly, unsure as to what to say. "I-I don't know." _I don't know? Was that the best he could_ _say?_ He pushed himself to say more, drawing in a deep breath. "I-It's just kinda weird, you know...? I mean... You're my best friend... And now... I-I'm confused..."

"And you think I'm not? Ash..." Cam could monitor Ash's heartbeat by pressing his forehead against his neck, breathing shallowly into the corner of it. "I've spent years trying to deny how I felt for you... I've spent two years trying to forget about you - and I couldn't... You don't think I'm confused? All this time, I've been falling helplessly in love with you, and I didn't even know that until a few weeks before you left me."

"... Then is it true? Were you really heartbroken when I left...?"

"What do you think?" Cam rolled off of Ash. He laid beside him, now staring up at the moon. "Of course I was."

It grew quiet again. The crickets were heard chirping again.

"... M-Maybe we should go back inside..."

"No way. I like it out here."

_How could Cam remain so relaxed?_

Ash slowly edged towards him. Once he reached him, he crawled on top of him, proceeding to wrap his arms softly around his neck.

_Was this what you would consider cuddling?_

The look on Cam's face looked fairly surprised.

"Ash?"

"Shuddup and just accept it, okay?" Ash snapped. "I-I wanna try this..."

"Try what?"

"I-I wanna know how it feels, so... Just hug me back, okay?"

Cam wasn't exactly sure of what Ash was getting at, but he chuckled, nonetheless.

"A-And don't laugh, either!" Ash snapped again.

"So forceful," Cam said under his breath. "Okay, I'll do as you say." He hugged Ash back, holding him closely.

Again, it grew quiet. Nothing was said for a really long time.

"How does it feel?" Cam questioned, prying his eyes away from the moon to look down at his beloved, searching for an answer.

But Ash had fallen asleep.

...

Not much went on after that. Cam carried Ash inside the house like newlyweds would do, laying him down onto the bed. He covered him up, making sure he looked comfortable enough before he kissed him on the forehead, kissing him good night. Then he stopped. Standing there, he tried to think of anything else he could do to make his beloved any happier.

After finding that to be impossible, he turned to leave the room. But he halted once more. There was Rina in the doorway, staring teary-eyed at him. Cam could hardly begin to process why she was there.

"Rina?"

Saying her name only seemed to make things worse. She turned from him and began rushing her way towards the front door, not wanting to look back and see any more of him. She could hear him shouting out her name as she bolted out of the door. She tried to make it further, but eventually, he caught up to her - grabbing her by the arm.

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><p><strong>Yeah, guys, it's gonna get pretty dramatic from here on out. Sit tight and enjoy the ride.<strong>

**I tried to escape from drama by writing humor, but we all see how well that turned out.**

**Thank you guys for the reviews! You're all so very kind and encouraging. ;_; **

**I spent seven hours on this chapter... Can you believe it? x_x;; Yeah, I really need a life... I also had to deprive myself from the cookie jar just to write it.**

**So... Don't be shy! Please review and tell me what you think! I'm happy with anything! Honestly! :3**


	12. Chapter 12

**Oh, hey, look. I finally updated. About fucking time...**

**Brace yourselves for some really dramatic dialogue.**

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><p><em>Chapter Twelve<em>

_'He's been silent all day... He hasn't said a word...'_

Ash glanced over to find Cam standing behind the front counter arranging an assortment of flowers in one vase. The colors varied greatly, all very vivid in contrast.

_'I don't understand...'_

Bringing flowers he gathered from the table, Ash came to stand beside Cam now, sticking the flowers into a vase, different from the one Cam had placed in prior.

The day had started off rather uneasy, and it had progressively gotten worse. Ash had been trying to strike up a conversation with Cam ever since this morning, but all Cam had given in return was either a simple shrug of the shoulders or a slight nod of the head. Ash was beginning to get worried. He had asked if he could help him with the shop today, and Cam, of course, didn't utter a sound; he had only nodded in agreement. It was as if he were caught in some sort of trance - _a_ _daze_ - that Ash couldn't possibly snap him out of.

Ash looked at him again. Cam stopped, standing still. Ash stared, observing. The room slipped into a silent trap.

_'Is he... Going to say something?'_

"... I want you to leave," Cam said, his jaw tightening.

_Huh?_

"... What?"

Cam was quiet again.

Ash merely blinked. "... Cam?" He asked. "What is it?"

Still, Cam was speechless, biding his time.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"... Nothing happened...," Cam said.

"... Then..." Ash paused. "... Why...?"

Cam brought a hand to his face, concealing his mouth. He looked deep in thought, tangled in a dream.

"... Cam?"

"... If I wouldn't have... Then she wouldn't have... It's all my fault..."

"... What? What's your fault?"

Again, Ash heard nothing.

"... Cam, seriously, what is it? Tell me what's wrong." Ash's patience was beginning to run thin.

"... It's nothing," Cam confirmed. "You should just go home," he promptly said, doing his best to avoid looking at Ash at all costs.

"I-I'm not going anywhere," Ash stomped. "You wanted me to stay here, so here I am. And I'm especially not leaving when you're acting like this."

Cam sighed. Ash grabbed him by the shirt, beginning to stutter, "C-Cam, seriously, look at me."

The florist looked away, his green, anxious eyes falling upon the flowers. His mind was elsewhere again, far from Ash.

Ash narrowed his blue eyes to the floor. "What is it...?" He prodded. "Why are you like this...?" His voice deteriorated. "Back when we were kids... You used to act the same way..."

Green eyes widened in shock.

"... Back when we were younger, you always hid the same way...," Ash persisted, "Why...? Is something really troubling you, Cam? Are you hurt?" Ash took a moment to pause. "Is it... Your parents?"

The florist shifted his eyes to Ash, who was standing there frail-looking and insecure.

Cam remembered. He remembered the days in which he and Ash would have such moments - moments in which he would remain silent, just like he was now. He remembered the times Ash would constantly ask him what was wrong, but would always fail each and every time he asked. Back then, it was because of his parents, _yes,_ that he had become so shy, so quiet, so hurt-looking at such moments... But now... No longer was it such the case. Now... It was because of a different reason...

The farmer clang to Cam's shirt. "... Why is it you still can't tell me...? I could never reach you when you were feeling like this... Have I gotten closer to you over the years or have I just drifted further away...? Are you feeling this way... Because of me?"

Green eyes widened again.

"... Ash..."

"Did I do something wrong? Is it my fault? Is it because of me that you-"

"Ash! No!" Cam grabbed Ash's face at once. "None of this is your fault. Okay?"

Ash backed up. "Then why the hell won't you tell me what's wrong? You said that you loved me, didn't you? Lovers are suppose to be honest with each other!" He shouted, not quite realizing what he had just said. He froze, a rush of heat crawling up towards his face. He swallowed. "O-Okay?" He asked after a few intervals of time.

A small smile escaped Cam as he replayed the things Ash had said in his head. He walked towards Ash, and upon reaching him, he pressed his forehead against Ash's own. "... You don't know how incredibly happy you make me...," he whispered. Ash's face lit up more. He removed his forehead from his, now kissing the area in which their foreheads had once touched together. "... Will you come with me?"

'Where to?' Ash wanted to ask, but decided not to. He wanted to say something else much, much more. He held Cam tightly. "... I'll go anywhere with you, you know that..."

Silence had once more seeped its way into the room. Before too long, Cam broke that silence:

"... Ash?"

"... Y-Yeah...?"

"... Do you love me...?"

Backing up, Ash stammered, "L-Like... A-As a friend?"

In response, the florist smiled weakly. "No, as something more."

The farmer turned red all over. He buried his face in Cam's chest. "... Y-Yeah...," he admitted softly. "I do. I really, really do... I mean it..."

Cam looked away, the anxious, worrisome look returning to his green eyes.

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><p><strong>Was this chapter too cheesy? Gawd... I think this is turning out to be more dramatic than it is humorous... Lol.<strong>

**This chapter was rather short, wasn't it? I would have added the next scene, but I decided to be a butt and leave you guys with another cliffhanger. Heh heh...**

**I'm predicting three more chapters to go, yes? Then this story will finally be compweeted... Mufufu...**

**Reviews make the world go round. ;D**

**Thanks for the reviews last time! x3 Always appreciated!**


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